Selective loader for cartridge machines



, 1946. J. H. wooDBERRY l-:TAL 2,402,195

SELECTIVE LOADER FOR CARTRIDGE MACHINES Filed Deo. 29, 1942 MMS @@@LGJ www sa@ Frederick W. Hnewiacher Patented June 18, 1946 scatenati'.` sELEc'rlvE LoADER FoacAnTR'r .G11

MACHINE John l-I. Woodberr;rr V.lloc-K wischer,;Metuchen,.N. J.V 1..;

Application December 2 9, 1942, senat-N0; 54.711,4;8

. 6 Claims. (Cl. 867-945) (Granted under the act of'Mar'eh 3, 1883, as. amended April/30, 19281370 .O., G;

The invention described herein maybein anu-.-v

factured and used by -or for the Government for governmental purposeswithout the payment to usof any royalty thereon.

This invention relates to a mechanism for loadT ing cartridges to a cartridg-handlng machine, such as a. machineI which inserts singlelcartridges into the pockets .of a `fabric belt, and more .particularly, to a mechanism which loads theycarr` tridges in the machine in a pre-selected manner or order. Belts and other cartridge-,containers usually hold four ball cartridges followedby a single tracer cartridge. It is the objectofV this invention to load cartridges to the belt-loading machine so that the said sequence ratio ofV ball and tracer cartridges will be maintained.VV

Cartridges, both Iball and, tracer, are packaged, as they come from cartridge making machines, in cardboard boxes containing twenty4 cartridges in double rows of ten each. It is a. further-object of this invention to provide a rselective `loader `for a cartridge handling machine which will accom,- modate the said cartridge packages.l That is, the improved selective loaderofthis inventionwill take a number of such standard cartridge packages, both ball cartridge packages and tracer cartridge packages, it Abeing understood that the two types are packaged separately, and remove. cartridges therefrom so that they .are fedto the machine in the -said prep-selected sequencev of four ball and one tracer cartridges. g Y

The improved selective loader is shownin the accompanying drawing as applied to the hand operated belt-loading machine of the Farrlatf ent No. 1,401,147 although it is clear that the in vention may be applied toany type of cartridge handling machine. Fig. 1 is a top View of the Farr machine, corresponding to Fig. 1 ofthe patent, but also showing the improved selective loader in place.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view corresponding to Fig. 2 of the patent, and also showing the loader oiFig.1. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the standard twenty round cartridge package. f

Fig. 4 is a front elevational viewv of the n nproved selective loader in position as it is presented to the receiving magazine of the cartridge handle machine. 1

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section on line 5-5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section'n iine 6-6 of Fig. 5. j

The belt-loading machine abouttobe Vdescribed hasv a magazine 6| which leads to the mecha- 757) .2@ nismjof; the machinegenerally designated 60 in Figs. 1 and 2 hereof. Magazinel holds a single vertical stack of cartridges 30,' and has Ithe crosssectional outline shown in Fig. 6 presenting vertical guide ribs 63 which are received in the annularchannel 33 ofthecartridges 43D. t is/the vfunction of the selective loader of the presentr inv ventionto rapidly stack the cartridges (directly fromtheir packages)V in magazines Slfso `that everynrth cartridgeis a tracer.f `The standard twenty-rund. cartridgepackage, designated 20, Shown Figg,y contains tworowsV often cartridges each. 1 Each. cartridgel isf contained in la separate pocket 'defined bya centrally locatedsepf aratorfzl whichextehdsto apoint below thetop edges V or tine,I oox',V see'Fig. It is understood that therbox 2 0 is made lsufficiently high so thatitsj lid-23 jnstclears 'over the top ofthe cartridges. TheY separator 'fbpard 2 A| isV provided with nine narrower comlcyboardsn 2'2 placed 4Vtransversely thereto-.sc that* twenty,V pockets are dened, ten

on eachside'of separator 2`l`. The lid23 is seL-.

cured 'in place by'a 'label 241 which is pasted'to the'front of theboxl A Y I n}ord er lt at the-'said standard package may be u tilized in-,thefimproved selectivedoader of this. invention; the vtop rxzirti'onV .offthe package must fiirstbef removed@`Conveniently,'gthe vtop portionlmay be c'ut atafpoint level with the top of thesepara'tor. 2land the combs 22. This point iswgesignatedrzs 'in Fig; 3. The `tcp .portion may be ciitffV inanyconvenient mannenvby the Vuse ssor'sfor other 'I appliances; or'the be perforated .peripherally at f the level fofpoint. 215, orother removal or openingen-A pedients'might be employed.

especia1ly,Fi`g.1/1, i'sof'suiilcient size to snugly hold v three. sizanitlard cartridge packages designated B, B and QT in FigQfl. Packages B and -B contain ball .cartridges .while packageT rcontains tracer cartridges.' It is readily seen from Fig. 4 that each vertical column contains six cartridges,

the'v lower ,fourbeingballfcartridges and thetop two .being .er' Ycartridges.'y V.The novel Vloader IU withf,its1169.15,fof. three cartridge packages B, B' and T, 'is presented tb the magazine tl` inthe manner best shown in Figf 2, thatis with the said six-cartridge columns l.vertical and with the two 'ballcartridge vpackages below vthe single tracer package. The top f holder ill designated Il is profi/1aed with a flange l2 which extendsicverthe top of theftop, 'row (horizontal) 'of cartridges.A

vevel selective loader `designated |',V-:fs'ee of tracer cartridges. It is thus seen that the function of flange I2 is to hold back the top row,

so that, as best seen in Fig. 5, the eiective or re- .1

movable vertical column will comprise four ball cartridges followed by a single tracer cartridge.

The package holder IIJ is open at its front and at one of its ends and its top front edge has a downturned flange l2. At the open end of the holder and forming a continuation of its rear plate is a aring lip 26, and there is a lip 21 on the side plate adjacent the rib 26, the lips coop erating to facilitate the entrance of the cartridge packages into the holder, and the removal of the empty or partially empty boxes from theholder. The cartridge box is cut away along the line 25 so that when the filled boxes, minus their out away portions, are placed in the holder the primer ends of the cartridges will extend beyond its edge in position to be presented to the magazine 6l with their grooves positioned to be engaged by the ribs 53 of the magazine, as shown best in Figure 6.

To feed a vertical column of four ball and one tracer cartridge to magazine El, the holder l0, oriented as shown in Figs. 4 and 2, is presented to the magazine with its bottom resting on the top of the magazine (see the holder shown in dot-and-dash lines in Fig. 2), and the lowermost cartridge of the column brought into position to be engaged in the magazine (as shown best in Fig. 6) with the vertical ribs 63 of the magazine fitting in the annular channel 33 of the cartridge. This first movement of the holder is represented by arrow a, Fig. 2. The holder is then moved vertically downwardly (arrow b, Fig. 2) to engage the ve cartridges of the vertical column. The top, tracer cartridge is not to be fed into the magazine in any one operation of the holder and in order to limit the longitudinal movement of the holder with respect to the magazine so that this cartridge will remain in its package in the holder, I provide 'in the rear wall of the magazine 6| a shoulder 2 engaged by the flange l2 in the final longitudinal movement of the holder with relation to the magazine. Below the shoulder 2, the ribs on the magazine begin and the distance' between the upper cartridge entry ends VofV the ribs and the shoulder is such that' when the movement of the holder is arrested by engagement between the flange and shoulder, the top cartridge'will be clear of the ribs and supported by the central partition 2i of the `package 20 so that the holder can be freely moved laterally with respect to the magazine without disturbing the top row of cartridges in the top package. The arrangement of shoulder and ribs is in accordance with this lnvention and is an important deviation from the magazine structure disclosed in the Farr patent hereinbefore mentioned. The top ofy the magazine BI may be provided with a beveled finger 3 to facilitate the positioning of the holder at the magazine.

After the five cartridges of a vertical column are engaged in the magazine, the holder is pulled away from the magazine (arrow c) to withdraw the three cartridge packages and all the cartridges except the said ve of the engaged column. As the said five cartridges are left clear of their packages, they fall down the magazine to become stacked in the preselected order of four 4 ball followed by one tracer cartridge. For the next vertical column, the holder is moved vertically upwardly (arrow d) to original point A, and moved sidewise (to the left, as viewed in Fig. 4. arrow e to present a fresh column. to the magazme. f i

After all the ball cartridges in packages B and B.' and the lower ten tracer cartridges of package T have been removed, the position of package T is reversed so that its top row is empty and it's bottom row contains ten tracers. Two fresh packages B and B of ball cartridges are placed inY holder Ill in underlying relation to the halffilled package T of tracers.

We claim:

1.v In combination with a belt loading magazine, a holder having a plurality of cartridges so grouped that apreselected series of cartridges may be fed to the magazine, said holder comprising a body adapted to envelope the cartridges while exposing the primer end thereof which is vintended to be received in the magazine, said holder being intended for movement longitudinally of the magazine to feed the cartridges thereinto, means carried by the magazine and'means carried by the holder cooperating to limit the'extent of 'longitudinal movement of the holderrelative to the mag;l azine to determinethe number'of cartridges delivered to the magazine from-the holder in each` single operation. l i

2. In combination with a4 belt loading magazine, a holder for holding a plurality of packages of cartridges in which the cartridges are so grouped that a preselected series of cartridges may be fed to the magazine,- saidholder comprising a body adapted to Yenvelope la cartridge package while exposing theprimer-ends `of the cartridges which are intended to' be received in the magazine, said hol'derlbeing intended for movement longitudinally of the magazine to feed the cartridges thereinto, a downwardly extending Iia'nge carried by the holder, an abutment on the maga-` zine engaged by said a'ngeupon the movement of the holder', to limit the extent of `longitudinal movement of the holder relative of themagazine to determine the number ofV cartridges delivered to the magazine from the holder in a single operation. I

3. In combination with a belt loading magazine, a holder for holding a plurality of cartridges so grouped that a preselected series of cartridges may be fed to the' magazine, said holder comprising a body adapted to envelope the cartridges while exposing the Vprimer end thereof which-is intended to be received inthemagazine, `said holder being intended formovement longitudinally of the magazine to feed the cartridges thereinto, a downwardly extending flange `carried by the holder, a shoulder on the magazine cooperating with the flange to limit the extent of longitudinal movement of the holder relative t'o the magazine to determine the number of cartridges delivered to the magazine from the holder in each single operation. l i

4. In combination with a belt loading magazine, a holder for holding a plurality of cartridges so grouped that a preselected series of cartridges may be fed to the magazine, said holder comprising a rectangular body open at one side and one end and adapted to receive a plurality of.' cartridge packages with the primer ends of the cartridges extending beyond the h oldlerto be received in the magazine, said holder bei-ng intended for movementlongitudinally of 'the maga-zine to feed the cartridges thereinto,` adownwardly extending flange along the upper edge of said holder, and an abutment on the magazine engaged by the ange upon the movement of the holder to limit longitudinal movement of the holder relative to the magazine to determine the number of cartridges delivered to the magazine in a single operation.

5. In combination with a belt loading magazine having a shoulder adjacent its cartridge entry end and cartridge guide ribs whose cartridge entry ends are spaced from the shoulder, a holder for holding a plurality of pocketed cartridges so grouped that a preselected series of cartridges may be fed to the magazine, said holder comprising a body adapted to envelope the cartridges while exposing their primer ends intended to be received in the magazine, said holder being intended for movement longitudinally of the magazine to feed the cartridges thereinto, and a flange on the holder adapted to engage the shoulder on the magazine upon the movement of the ho-lder to limit the longitudinal movement of the holder with respect to the magazine; the shoulder and guiding ribs on the magazine being spaced for a distance slightly greater than the diameter of a cartridge so that the movement of the holder is arrested before the last cartridge in the holder reaches the guide ribs in the magazine.

6. A belt loading magazine having a shoulder adjacent its cartridge entry end and cartridge guide ribs spaced from said shoulder, said magazine being adapted for use with a cartridge container having a row of pocketed cartridges With their primer ends exposed and intended for longitudinal movement with respect to the magazine to feed the cartridges thereinto, the spacing between said shoulder and said cartridge entry end of the guide ribs being such that the longitudinal movement of the container will be arrested by the magazine shoulder before the last cartridge in the row reaches the said guide ribs.

JOHN H. VVOODBERRY. FREDERICK W. HOEWISCHER. 

